Delivering physiotherapy services at the height of COVID-19

Matt Whalan, Physiotherapist & Sports Scientist has been a partner at Figtree Physiotherapy since 2005 and has been extensively involved in Sports Physiotherapy in the Wollongong area.Matt recently completed his PhD in injury prevention in football in addition to his Honours degree in Exercise Science & Rehabilitation and Masters in Physiotherapy.Through his experience and knowledge base, Matt has an active and hands-on approach to rehabilitation to get you back on track as fast as possible.

How are you using TeleHab?

Telehab was a huge part of my clinic’s response to the limitations created by COVID-19. During the first phase, we shut our premises to the public and the Telehab platform allowed us to maintain contact with patients that required ongoing care. This was especially important for our patients undergoing post-operative rehabilitation and also those that were in essential services. Additionally, we used Telehab to provide our clients that participate in our group exercise classes with a program to continue with while they were also in lockdown. The Telehab platform allowed us to individualize programs to suit the client’s ability and previous or current injury concerns.

How did you prescribe programs before TeleHab?

To be honest, I had not found a platform that suited our clinic and patients. I found most to not have the exercise content that I wanted, lacked the flexibility to modify the programs easily and were difficult for patients to use. Fortunately, Telehab addressed these issues and we were lucky to have started using the platform pre-COVID.

How does TeleHab assist with program adherence?

The simplicity of use for patients and excellent content allows patients to be confident in performing their exercises. The design of the platform also allows for easy modification of an individual program and patients to provide feedback. This means they feel more engaged in the rehabilitation process and we are able to adjust components easily and effectively. Importantly, patients know that their therapist can see how many times they have performed the exercises which is a great motivator! Finally, the features such as videoing and reporting pain whilst performing the exercise are also great additions that have been well received by patients.

COVID restrictions have meant a lot of teams/squads have had to adjust their training. How has TeleHab helped with this?

The great exercise library in Telehab has meant that we have been able to continue to support all of our teams and athletes remotely. We designed and implemented a variety of programs from strength programs that could be performed at home, to Pilates and Yoga style programs and programs designed to reduce injury risk, such as the 11+. This was done with our youth, adult, and veteran populations and was only possible through Telehab.